The Unchosen
by mayaoneechan13
Summary: We've always been together, but something changed when you left. Momo and I are scared, Teto. What happened to you? What happened to us?
1. Introduction

**Summary:** "While the Vocaloids and Boukaroids were always in the limelight, we UTAU were always struggling to find the time that we could step out of the shadows and shine on our own." A story about a stroke of luck that will test the bonds of friendship.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vocaloid or any of the characters associated with it. Nor do I own UTAU, which belongs to Ameya-P. And then, each UTAU to their creator.

Please Rate + Review my story!

Without further adieu, enjoy~

* * *

><p>"Defoko! Wake up! It's time to go to school!"<p>

I groaned. Morning was simply not my time of day. As I climbed out of bed, I was careful not to wake my little sister. With my slippers successfully put on without rousing the little princess, I walked across our apartment into the kitchen to make breakfast. My mom was already there, checking her e-mail via cell phone while glancing over the paper for the day. She was getting ready to go to work as usual, so I had to make a lunch for myself as well as my younger sister, Koe. I'm not the most amazing cook, but my skills suffice for our three-person family.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Mom smiled.

"Morning, mom." I replied.

"Are you ready for today?" She asked.

"No. Why?"

"This article here." Mom pointed out a section about Pop Show.

"Oh yeah. I think they're going to talk about that at school today."

Every day, I get up at around 6:30 in the morning to get ready for school. After having breakfast and fixing lunch, my mom typically leaves right after that, because she takes the train into the city. Luckily for me, school is relatively close, so I walk in the mornings.

"Don't keep your friends waiting!"

"I won't, mom."

After saying goodbye, I get my book bag together, change into my school uniform and leave. Most mornings, I meet up with my friends, Teto and Momo, along the way. We've been together since elementary school, so you could say we're all pretty close. You can imagine our excitement when we all found out we had all been accepted to Ameya Park U.T.A.U. High School (The acronym stood for something, I knew, but it'd been lost to time, so most of us just call it UTAU High or Ameya-P).

"Good morning, Defoko!" A green eyed girl greeted me cheerfully. Her pink hair was impeccably straight as always. It was typical Momo to be a good dresser.

"Morning, Teto, Momo." I returned, looking from one to the other.

"Hey, did you hear?" Teto blurted. "I hear we're going to start preparation for the contest today."

"I've heard that, too." Momo added. "It'd be nice if they allowed group pieces this time around, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah." I agreed. Ameya-P is a musical school. Most of us planned to go into some sort of singing or band career. Those of us who sang were expected to participate in Pop Show contests, although some years they didn't allow for ensembles. It was a shame that our first year, they weren't allowed, because Teto, Momo, and I made a killer trio when it came to group pieces. Momo sings like an angel. Her voice is perfectly clear and lyrical, but she has trouble holding the same note for a long time. I balanced out that problem. Although my voice wasn't clean like Momo's, I _did_ have perfect pitch. Then there was Teto. She had neither perfect pitch nor a sweet voice, but she had a certain power to her singing that Momo and I could only dream of having.

"I wonder if they'll let us write our own pieces this year." Teto wondered aloud.

"I'm sure they will. They did our freshman year, so I would expect that this year's contest would allow it as well."

"Awesome! I've been working on this song for a while now that I'm sure will blow them away." She jumped, causing her coiled pigtails to bounce.

"Careful, Teto," I smirked. "You wouldn't want to blow them away from giving you a high score, would you?"

"Hey!" Teto snapped. Momo giggled.

On our way to school, Teto usually stops in at the store to buy some bread for lunch. I've never actually seen Teto eat anything besides bread. It's like she's obsessed with it or something. I mean, Momo is a self-proclaimed peach lover, but she never took it to a level like this.

"Is that _all_ you're having for lunch today?" I asked, pointing to the curry bread she bought.

Teto smiled. "Yep! Except, it's a shame they didn't have any French bread today. They usually have French bread."

"I figured." I replied, having noted that Teto bought it every day.

Our school is around the edge of town, across from a city park. It's relatively large, since it's the only public school around with a decent reputation for turning out successful artists. The only other musical schools around are Crypton University (despite being only a high school…go figure) and Boukaroido School of Music. Crypton is an extremely prestigious private boarding school for only the elite musical students. Since it cost a fortune to attend, most of us UTAU's had applied for scholarships. All the rejects decided to either go to UTAU or Boukaroido. Speaking of Boukaroido, they're more about the show than the actual singing or playing, I've heard, because most of them aren't good at singing themselves so they have to be good at faking it.

When you see Ameya-P, it's pretty typical. Nothing unusual about it. Just your ordinary high school. There are people who fail and people who surpass standards. The one person—or rather, two people—who come to the top of my head first in the "surpass standards" category are the Macne sisters. They apparently were homeschooled. After a while, they started a garage band. I heard they even had a producer at one time, so I didn't understand why they would have decided to give up their success and come to UTAU. It still makes no sense to me even now, but I suppose they must have had their reasons. Maybe they just wanted the high school experience?

As sophomores, Teto, Momo, and I had our class on the second floor. We had all known we were lucky when we went to the same school, but on the first day we found we had even more luck than that: We were in the same homeroom class together. Class 2-D. (Teto liked to joke that the "D" was for Defoko. I didn't like that.)

I sat down in my seat and began to look over my Oto planner and waited for the teacher to call role. Oto's were self-tutorial manuals we got at the beginning of high school. They were also like course guides, telling you what you ought to focus on for your level you chose. There were two levels, but three methods in our 's, so there were three different oto booklets: CV, VCV, and VCCV, where VCV was on the lower level and VCV and VCCV were on the higher level. Being the lazy self I am, I only opted for a CV level, but Momo and Teto had decided to work at the VCV level, so when we split into groups during second period, I didn't see them.

My course schedule went like this: Homeroom/Music Theory, Choir, Math, Lunch, Music class, Free period, and then finally, Language Arts. Aside from core classes, Ameya-P is all about learning every aspect of the music industry. We had to take classes in choreography, instrument playing, reading music, vocals, music theory, and so on, so we would be prepared for careers as artists if we chose to.

"Amane Luna!" Our teacher called role. On the opposite side of the classroom, a girl with curly blonde hair raised her hand and said "here". I sat and waited for my name. I was last on the list.

"Utane Uta!"

"Here!" I called. Actaully, Defoko isn't my real name. It's only a nickname given to me by my friends and family. Most everyone else called me Uta.

"Ok. So everyone's here then." The teacher looked around. "Good morning, everyone. I suppose I have a few things to talk about." We all quieted down, knowing what he was going to say.

"As you know, the Pop Show Competition for Future Artists is next week. I expect at least four or five of you to enter. In the competition, you will be expected to sing either a solo or group piece. You will be allowed to write your own pieces, but they must be submitted at least a week before the completion date for review and acceptance."

"Yes!" Teto whispered, doing a fist pump under her desk.

"In addition to an individual score, you will also receive a score that will be added to other UTAU students' scores. In the end, school-wide scores and the winning school of the competition will be announced. The top three singers will also be announced."

"I hope we win this year. Last year was a disaster." Momo whispered to me. I nodded in agreement. Last year, we had been flattened by the Vocaloid school. The students at Crypton are often called Vocaloids in the same sense we call ourselves UTAU's because of the method they use for producing songs, which is likewise called the "Vocaloid method". The singing classes they have are simply top notch. It's no wonder that their singing is so good. That's not the part that ticks me off, though. Vocaloid students write their own music, but they don't actually have to do anything past that. When one is accepted to Crypton, one of a select few companies backs them financially (aside from the cost of attending the school). The company helps Vocaloids pay for producers to mix and choreograph their song for them. It felt a little unfair to us UTAU's, because they had professionals publishing their songs while we were putting together songs ourselves. While the Vocaloids and Boukaroids were always in the limelight, we UTAU's were always struggling to find the time that we could step out of the shadows and shine on our own.

Remembering that, I was lit with a flame of competitive spirit. "I'm sure we'll win this year." I told Momo reassuringly.

"Remember," our teacher continued, "If we make it to state level, the amount of work will be upped. You will be expected then to put together a setlist and show, complete with choreography, an instrumental track, and anything else on this list that is approved to create a concert."

"That would be so cool if we made it that far this year…" Teto stared into space dreamily.

"The final date for music submission and participation is February 26th. Don't forget that the competition is on March 5th. And most importantly, remember that you are not only representing this school, but also yourself and your ability to create music." The teacher finished. "Have you all got that?"

"Yes!" We all answered in unison.

"Good." Our teacher looked around the room. "Alright then, today's lesson will continue our unit on the classical style…"

* * *

><p>Momo, Teto, and I often liked to eat outside. Some days, we sat out on the roof, but today we sat in front of the school on a grassy patch. A lot of people sat outside when the weather was good like this, so we weren't the only ones.<p>

"…And so, that's when I decided that anything besides bread was stupid for lunch!" Teto finished with triumph.

"That's…some story." I laughed.

Momo agreed. "I had always wondered why you were so obsessed with bread."

"Hey! I'm not obsessed!" Teto pouted.

"She's just kidding." I told her (although in reality, I _did _think Teto was obsessed). "But didn't you say you had some sort of song in mind for the competition?"

"Yeah. I did." Teto said between mouthfuls of Curry bread. After gulping it down, she turned to me. "I think it should sound like this. _HM hmhm…hmhmHMhmHM hmhm…_"

"Uh…I think you want it to go like this, right?" I hummed the notes as she had, correcting the pitch where I needed to.

"Yeah! Just like that! I think we should make it a group song. Like, we could all submit it and sing it together."

"It _is_ a nice tune…" Momo mused. "Group songs are harder to write, though, for sure. You have to put all the harmonies together, and decide if and when to give each singer a solo."

"Aww, come on! I'm sure if we all pitched in, we could have the lyrics and mixing done in no time." Teto whined.

I looked Teto, then Momo. "I'm sure it's pretty plausible. We'll just have to plan out the notes on the piano during music class first."

"So you're in, then?" Teto asked, her pink eyes hopeful.

"Yup." I answered nonchalantly, taking a sip of soda.

Momo was the last one left. Looking defeated, she smiled, and said, "Ok, I'm in too, then. Let's get this song written."

In music class, we continued to practice playing instruments. My instrument of choice was the guitar—I always wanted to play something so typically, well, _guy-like_. I knew I wasn't a tomboy at heart, but I did have tomboyish tendencies. Momo's was piano. It was so like her to play something proper and quiet. Still, she also did keyboarding and synthesizers, so I suppose it wasn't completely that way. Teto, on the other hand, was a spazz, so drums or guitar suited her well.

After music class was over, Teto, Momo, and I grouped around the piano.

"So." Momo sighed. "I don't know where to start."

"Well, we have these notes, don't we?" Teto played her short humming sequence.

"Yeah, but that's not enough to be a piece." I told her, leaning against the wall.

"Huh…" Teto huffed. "Well then, what kind of song should it be?"

"Something about friendship?" Momo suggested.

"Nah." Teto replied. "That's boring."

"Hey," I snapped, blowing a strand of purple hair out of my face. "Don't knock it until you try it."

"No, maybe Teto's right." Momo said quickly. "The judges always like something more emotional, don't they?"

"That's not _necessarily _true," I thought aloud, "But I'm sure it could help."

"Well then, why don't we do a love song?" Teto asked.

"Ok then. Go and decide it yourself when you ask for our opinion, will you?" I grinned.

"H-hey! It just popped into my head just now, is all!" Teto protested.

"Alright, alright. That's fine." I laughed. Teto was just so fun to tease. She knew I didn't mean anything of course, but it was easy to get a reaction out of her.

"You guys!" Momo got our attention. "I thought we were going to plan this song out this period!"

"Uh, right." I said quickly. "Have you got anything yet?"

"No…" She said. "How about this?" Momo tapped out a few notes on the piano.

I sighed. "This would have been easier if you had had some lyrics in mind, Teto."

"Uh…well, I kinda do…" Teto shifted around, then sang the notes softly. "_Yoru no…chuushajou de…anata ha…nanimo…iwanai mama…_"

"A parking lot? At night? With no talking?" Momo wondered aloud. "What could happen that has to do with love there?"

"Well, it could be a sad song." I piped up. "What if it's a breakup or something?"

"I guess that's true…" Momo considered this for a moment. "How's this sound then? Maybe someone saw their boyfriend or girlfriend with someone else?"

"Now we're getting somewhere." I smiled. "They saw their boyfriend with someone else and now they're confronting them?"

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking. The breakup part, anyway." Teto thought for a moment. "What if 'she' doesn't want to break up with her boyfriend? Like she doesn't believe this is happening to her?"

"Yeah…So how's this sound…?"

* * *

><p>We actually made a lot of progress during Free period after all. The first verse was near complete, and we had gotten the basic notes down. I could go home that evening feeling accomplished. As Teto, Momo, and I walked home, we talked about our pieces that we were going to sing for solos.<p>

"I was thinking about singing 'White Letter'. I know it's not an original, but I like it a whole lot, and I know it well, too…what do you guys think?" Momo asked.

"Anything you sing is perfect, Momo. In other words, I think that'll be fine." I told her.

"What about you, Teto?" She asked, turning to Teto.

Teto stared into space for a moment. "Mm…I think 'Confront! You Look So Cool!' would be good, wouldn't you think?"

"It would certainly show off your voice well, wouldn't it? That's one of your best songs." Momo encouraged her.

"Ok! That's what I'll do then!" Teto turned to me. "Hey…Defoko, you haven't told us what you want to do yet."

"Oh! Uh…" I stuttered. I had never given it much thought throughout the day. "Yoake no Inori?"

"That's the one you wrote last year for our final project, isn't it?" Momo asked. "It was really beautiful."

"…Thanks." I scratched my head. We passed my apartment complex and stopped. "I guess this is it for the day…so see you guys at school tomorrow!"

"Yeah! See you!" Teto said in return. Momo just waved.

As I walked up the stairs to my apartment, I couldn't help but feel, well, _blessed _with such good friends. I wanted to think that someday, we would make it big together. I had always thought that our days in highschool could be the best of our lives, and that we would be able to stick together, even when it got hard. Because UTAU's stick together, right?

I couldn't have been more wrong.

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><p><em>So…how was the first chapter? If it felt too slow, I PROMISE that the second chapter is better. Promise!<em>

_You might notice that my version of "school" isn't really like anything real school out there. Oh sure, the school design in my head, as well as the students at the school, may have Japanese influences, but I'm not trying to make it set in Japan. Nor anywhere else. You might call it a fictional city, but then that's how all of them work, right? Actually, this idea of "school" is based upon other Vocaloid fanfiction I have read._

_I guess the way I worked with acronyms, Oto's, and CV, VCV, and VCCV didn't make sense all the time, but I'm trying to get as many aspects of Vocaloid and UTAU into this story as I can. Such as the fact that more people who have Vocaloid go professional than those who have UTAU, the fact that Vocaloid is so expensive, and the fact that the Macne series is meant to be a plugin for GarageBand._

_Also you may have noticed the "Vocaloid Method" I mentioned. The idea is comparable to the idea of the Suzuki method, or any other music teaching method: it's a unique method that helps people get better results._

_How songs will work from now on: If I post the lyrics or a translated name in the chapter, I will post it at the top with the disclaimer. All titles will be in romaji if they are still in Japanese. I will also use English lyrics if I can find them._


	2. Of Luna, Len, and Vocaloid Tryouts

**Summary:** "While the Vocaloids and Boukaroids were always in the limelight, we UTAU were always struggling to find the time that we could step out of the shadows and shine on our own." A story about a stroke of luck that will test the bonds of friendship.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yamaha, Crypton, Vocaloid or any of the characters associated with it. Nor do I own UTAU, which belongs to Ameya-P. Or Sugarcape. And then, each UTAU to their creator. And of course, each song to its writer.

**Notes:** I suggest you look up some of the Utauloids mentioned in this chapter; they're really good~

**Thanks to: **The Song Of Lost Age **For reviewing! :)**

**Songs in this Chapter:** _Confront! You Look so Cool!_

Please Rate + Review my story!

Without further adieu, enjoy~

* * *

><p>"Have you heard about the Vocaloid tryouts?"<p>

I looked up at Momo and nodded. "What, are you going to try out for them?"

"Oh, sure." Momo replied, twirling her hair. "But they're so impossible anyway. No one's passed enough of their tests to get in."

"If anyone can get accepted to Crypton, it's you, Momo." I told her. She blushed.

"H-hey! I'm not that amazing!" Momo stuttered. "A-at any rate, I'm not interested anyway…" She had been twirling her hair so furiously after my comment that she had tied it in a knot, and now was clawing at the tangle, trying to get her it loose. Yup. That's exactly what Momo was interested in.

After regaining her cool, she turned to me once again. "What about you, Defoko? Surely you're interested in the Vocaloid program as well?" I thought for a moment. Honestly, I hadn't considered the idea, because I had been so comfortable right where I was.

"Not particularly. I mean…" Well, it was impossible to _completely_ ignore the idea. Of course I wanted to do better. Better classes, and a professional education…it certainly was an intriguing offer. Even if I held a grudge against Crypton. I sighed. "Ok. You got me there."

"I knew it!" She grinned. "Can't you imagine all three of us as Vocaloids?"

"Three of us?" I asked. "You mean Teto, too?"

"Of course!" Momo replied excitedly. "I mean, it's always been our dream to make it big together, right?" That I knew to be true. Even as little kids in our elementary school choir, we had always wanted to become a group of idol singers. As best friends, we pledged we'd help each other to the top. But now? I had always wanted to work for my fame…yet here was my chance, staring me in the face. A chance for me and my friends, a group of nobodies, at accomplishing our life-long goal.

"Yeah. But hasn't there only been, like, one person who made it in the past several years? Wasn't her name something like…uh…Maiko?" I wondered.

"I think you mean Meiko," Momo corrected me. "And no, I don't think she was an UTAU. We would have been told something about it if she had been from Ameya-P, don't you think? Like some sort of award on the wall or something?"

"Probably…" I trailed off. That essentially meant _no _well-known Vocaloids were once UTAU's.

"Besides," She continued, "It would be difficult for an UTAU to do well at Crypton, considering the school prejudices and rivalries and such."

"I dunno about that. We've never actually been to Crypton. What if the so called 'rivalries and predjudices' are one-sided? Like, no one cares about what UTAU's think or do at Crypton?" I proposed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Momo asked, slightly flustered. "Every time we go to a competition, we get slammed for our 'inferior' singing skills."

"But that's just the critics." I argued. "I've never actually heard about any comments like that come from the Vocaloids themselves. They seem pretty nice, even if they are spoiled. Have you ever heard Hatsune Miku or Len Kagamine say anything bad about Ameya-P?"

"No…" She sighed. "I guess my scores from the fall contest are getting to me a little." Poor Momo. She had sung what I believed to be her absolute best at the Classical Singing Concert last October, but she had still gotten a 2 for a score, on a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 was the best. "But did you know? I heard Miku might be coming to our school to help with judging."

"Really—?" I began to say, but Teto popped up out of nowhere and cut me off.

"You mean THE Miku Hatsune?" Teto squeaked. Teto was a huge Miku buff. She absolutely adored her. Her music, her posters, even several copies of Miku's own magazine, Hatsune Mix—you named it, and Teto would have it. Or, at least, be an expert on it.

But then, everyone could be considered an expert on Hatsune Miku. Miku was everywhere. You could find her face on billboards, buses, and telephone poles. I even found a store one day that was using Miku to advertise their produce—leeks in particular, because that was apparently her favorite food. Although the obsession was a little crazy, it was understandable to an extent, however. Hatsune Miku may have only been sixteen and in the same grade as us, but in her first year of school, she scored almost twenty radio hits. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, she held a concert, which also featured some of her friends, Luka and the Kagamine twins.

"…Did someone say 'Len Kagamine…? …I wonder if he'll be here to judge, too…" A voice whispered from behind me. My spine tingled and I nearly jumped as I turned to look at who had talked. It was a girl with grey hair and red eyes: Sukone Tei, Ameya-P's resident Yandere. If Teto was obsessed with Miku, then I don't even want to know what Tei was when it came to Len.

Tei blushed and smiled maniacally. "That would be…_wonderful…_" She mused in a creepy, love struck voice. Lost in her daydream, Tei wandered away from my desk across the room.

"Whew. She's gone." Momo relaxed. "How does she do that? It's like she has superhuman hearing or something!"

"I don't know," Teto answered, "But that was just plain scary."

"Try having her pop up next to your ear." I agreed.

* * *

><p>Class that day was all abuzz. <em>Everyone<em> seemed to be talking about the Crypton tryouts. They were already planning out what songs they wanted to sing, play, etc. I didn't see a single face that wasn't interested. Well, except two: Macne Nana and Coco. Oh sure, they were going to try out, but I guess the reason they didn't care was because they had already done rather well before they came to UTAU. Other than that, though, everyone was hopeful that they might be the one that would get chosen for a scholarship and be accepted.

We were all disappointed, of course, that Miku wouldn't be coming to our humble little school, but since the tryouts were to be held on the Crypton campus, it made up for it. We might not only see Miku, but some of the other Vocaloids as well. You can imagine that Tei was even more excited in that creepy way of hers.

The date for the try-outs was set for early February, about a month before the Solo and Ensemble competition. Even though I spent a lot of time in the city, I never actually saw the Crypton. I had always imagined it to be like our UTAU school. Before, it had always seemed like some fictional place—there, but not really. I mean, I'd seen Rin perform live at concerts and such. However, the Vocaloid campus felt real now—I would be stepping on in less than a week.

In the end, I decided to sing "Odoru~Yukkuri There". I had spent quite a bit of time writing the song during my freshman year, and it was the only song I felt had the quality to really impress the judges from Crypton. I knew, of course, that as a CV, I probably didn't have even the slightest chance of getting in, considering the impossible odds. However, I could hope.

"Hey! Defoko! Can you tell me if this is good or not?" Teto asked me during Choir. Due to the Crypton tryouts, we had temporarily shifted off of the CV, VCV, and VC CV separation, opting for individual practice time instead.

"Sure." I agreed. "Go ahead. I'm listening." Teto took a deep breath and began.

_Your bright future,__  
><em>_is now hidden in the mist.__  
><em>_Your dream is disappearing._

_Who will help watch over you?__  
><em>_Nobody will take care of you anymore.__  
><em>_Nobody else can save you .__  
><em>_You can only trust in yourself._

_Alright!__  
><em>_You can do it!__  
><em>_Facing against the difficulties you look so cool!__  
><em>_Alright! You will become so great!__  
><em>_It doesn't matter if anyone laughs at you, as long as you do not give up yourself._

_Facing against the difficulties you look so cool!__  
><em>_You will become so great!__  
><em>_As long as you have courage and do your best you can do anything!_

_Of course this only works for cute boys..._

I laughed. Her ending never failed to amuse me. Teto had once told me she had been referring to her brother in the end, who apparently had been quite popular during his sophomore year at Ameya-P.

"Well?" Teto raised her eyebrows.

"I think... that was really awesome." I told her. "You've got a great voice for that song."

"You think?" Teto grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks! You know what? I think I've actually got a shot at this Vocaloid thing!"

"I think so, too. I can't wait for the try-outs!" I smiled back. And truly, I honestly couldn't wait. Even though I hadn't tried out yet, I was so hopeful that the suspense was already killing me.

"You know what else I want for Crypton? I kind of want them to know what we UTAU's are made of. We're all good singers, really. Look at you! Perfect pitch isn't common." Teto gave me a thumbs up. I was caught a little off guard.

"Uh…thanks?" I managed to say. "Teto, I'm only in the CV class. You and Momo are the real singers here."

"Oh, come on. Don't put yourself down like that." Teto waved a finger in a that's-so-wrong-and-this-is-what-I-have-to-say kind of way. "I _know_ you are good."

I sighed. Me, being the pessimist I was, didn't fully believe her, but there was no arguing with Teto. It was too bad there wasn't a debate team at Ameya-P, because she would dominate. Momo and I had both tried on multiple occasions, but failed miserably, as had the teacher and other classmates.

"Ok. I'll give it my best." I finally told Teto, and she winked.

"That's the spirit! We are totally going to get into Vocaloid! And if we don't, we'll beat the crap out of them at Pop Show!" Teto danced around. "Can't you just see it now? Crypton is going down!"

"Hehe, I suppose." I laughed, scratching my head and sweating.

"This year, Defoko, I promise will not only be the first year an UTAU is accepted to Vocaloid, but the first year that _three_ UTAU's make it!" She twirled towards me. "Riiiight?"

"Yep." I answered nonchalantly. Momo had believed we'd all get in as well. I wondered, could that really be possible? It seemed a little farfetched, considering Crypton's standards. Yet, I chose to ignore that. I pulled a copy of my sheet music out of my backpack. It was just like I had remembered it—same handwriting, same little side notes and markings that I had written in two years ago. I hummed a few notes before going into one of the practice rooms.

* * *

><p>"Ok…I'm going to call roll now." Our teacher stood at front of the bus, looking over a clipboard. One by one, he called our names. "Momone Momo…Nagone Mako…Namine Ritsu…" Momo raised her hand. She was sitting across the aisle from me and Teto, and it was clear that she was giddy with excitement. Today, those of us who were going to the tryouts were heading over to Crypton University. This was it; this was the day that could change our lives.<p>

"Psst! Defoko! Can you believe it? Crypton! Vocaloids! We're going to be there!" Teto whispered. She could hardly contain herself.

"Not really…" I grinned. "It's sort of unreal." And it was. Although the Vocaloids were prominent, Crypton University was sort of mythical place, a place that only existed "somewhere over the rainbow" to us UTAU's. Even now, as I sat on the bus to commute across town for the tryouts, it still felt like the school was an "off-limits" sort of place. Kind of like seeing a photograph of a landmark versus _actually being there to see it_.

Even I, who was a total non-believer concerning the odds of this competition, could not suppress the feeling of butterflies in my stomach as the bus left our school and drove towards the city. We passed some shopping districts that I knew, and a road a few streets away from where my mom's office was, but past that point, it was all new. Eventually, we came to the Yamaha district. Yamaha was a very ritzy part of town, so it made perfect sense that Vocaloid was located smack-dab in the middle of the place. The divide between "The City" and "Yamaha" was extremely noticeable, as modern architecture and high-class centers dotted the area. It was a little amazing to think that not one person who lived here needed help paying for Crypton's tuition fees.

Crypton University was marked by a very neat and clean sign, featuring a spin-off of Crypton's logo. The entrance drive was lined by trees and fields. As I looked out the bus window, the reason for the "University" title became evident—there were a variety of buildings, making it look like a small institution or junior college. There were two dormitory buildings, a dining hall, a music hall, a performance hall, a general studies hall, a library, and more. For being a private school, Crypton had a relatively large number of students attending it—approximately 2,500, but that hardly justified its facilities. UTAU had just under 4,000 students and it didn't get any of these extras. I decided that it was just because everyone in Yamaha was rich.

We pulled up in front of a registration building, but no one was allowed off the bus until we had all received name tags labeling us as "visitors". As instructed, we left all but our sheet music folders on the bus before putting a foot onto the legendary campus. It was then that reality hit me hard—Crypton was no longer a school of myth or "that other school" to me. It was real, and right here beneath my feet. Teto, Momo, and I gaped in awe. The building in front of us may have been only the administration building, but its architecture was fantastic.

"Ok, follow me! This way!" One of the teachers motioned, and we followed. I was silent for most of the walk, as I was still surprised by the facilities that Vocaloid had. Momo pointed out that there was even a student Recreation center, something extremely unusual for a high school—private school or not.

Our teacher stopped us in front of the performance hall. I wondered why we had stopped there instead of the music hall, considering that practice rooms, which were typically used in these sorts of tryouts, were usually near the music rooms. However, I soon discovered that _this_ performance hall was much more than a theatre. It was well equipped for such a task.

Once in the performance hall's lobby, I noticed a few other schools present, including Boukaloido and Sugarcape. Leading the group for Boukaloido was Akita Neru. I've heard that she actually has a decent voice, but always insists on having a super-high-pitched voiceover to lip-sync to. She's also apparently a celphone troll. True to that rumor, she was plugging away at her celphone. Yowane Haku, another Boukaloido student, was peering over her shoulder.

After a few minutes, rosters were handed out to our teachers, and we were assigned to different try-out groups. "Ok…when you hear your name, come to the front so we can tell you the practice room and judge you are assigned to. Alright, Haruka Nana…Midorine Rei…" One by one, students came to the front. "Oh, that's me…See you later, Defoko." Teto told me, then walked through the crowd. Soon, Momo was gone as well. I was in Amane and Ichine Luna's group (Funny, how they ended up in the same group). Kawaiine Kagami and Sekka Yufu were also in my group.

"Hey…do you know how long we have to wait?" Yufu asked. "I'm really nervous…"

"Aren't we all." I mumbled, knowing that I, too, was nervous.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Luna (Amane) smiled. "Besides, even if you don't pass, you can at least say you tried, right?" I looked over at Luna (Amane). She was so sweet, and mature. As a junior, she could be confident in her singing skills. Of course she could keep her cool in this situation. Her presence alone was calming. It gave me a little more courage—

"What? You can't just settle for something like that! You have to try harder! Aim for the goal! Don't say it's ok if you lose!"

—And then there was Luna (Ichine). Aside from their names and luxurious blonde hair (which I envied at times), the two UTAU's couldn't be more different. Ichine Luna was in my grade; she was a little immature, and had a crush on Len Kagamine. Perhaps that was where she got her fighting spirit, being the only person in the school with the guts to stand up to Tei.

I sighed. I could tell that with Luna (Ichine) in my group, it wasn't going to be a very quiet day. I felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Hey, you!" Kagami ordered me to listen, not even bothering to ask my name. "Omigosh, aren't you so excited? Like, I'm so excited! What if I get into Crypton? That would be so, like, awesome!" She squealed, as if her voice wasn't insanely high-pitched and annoying enough. I turned back to Luna (Ichine), who looked competitive as ever.

"Well, what about you?" She asked suddenly.

"Uh..." I didn't know what to say. "I want to get in, but…I mean, my friends and I decided we'll try and all get into Crypton together, so…I guess, yeah. I'll try my best."

Luna had been staring me down quizzically, but now her face broke into the biggest grin I had ever seen. "That's the spirit!" She spun around and pointed at Yufu. "You can do it too! So you get out there and sing your absolute best! Got it?" Yufu shifted nervously. Luna (Amane) sweatdropped, and opened her mouth to say something, but surprisingly, Yufu beat her to it.

"…ok." She whispered quietly. I could swear that I saw the tinyiest smile creep onto her face. Looks like even the person most lacking in self-confidence had a little hope. Maybe Luna and her pep talks weren't so bad after all.

At that moment, the door to the practice room we had been standing in line next to opened. "Ok, who's first?" a man, presumably our judge, asked. He looked down at the list. "That would be…Amane Luna?" Luna stiffened, probably a little nervous that she had to go first. No matter how good a singer she was, or how calm she could always be, going first is always unnerving.

"Good luck." I whispered, and Luna (Ichine) smiled, giving a little wave. Yufu smiled, too. I felt a little sorry for Luna, having to go first, but as soon as the door shut, I wished I was her, as Kagami appeared in my face yet again.

"Omigosh omigosh omigosh I'm third to go! That means only one more person is ahead of me now! I'm so nervous, but I can't wait! I hope I wow the judge with my amazing singing! Can't you just see me, a Crypton Vocaloid, as popular as Miku? I wish I could be just like her, all kawaii, and desu, and pretty! Like, omigosh…"

_I wish you would shut up,_ I thought. If Kagami said another word, I was sure I would barf. Her voice was just that irritating. The last thing I wanted was for her to get into Crypton, because then that would mean I would have to hear her voice everywhere. However, I could rest assured in the fact that she was too terrible a singer to have a chance. While some of the Boukaloids had some talent, Kawaiine Kagami was not one of them.

I sighed. _Boukaloids._

* * *

><p><em>And so the tryouts begin...!<em>

_Sorry this chapter took so long. After I had typed 8,000 words I decided I needed to split the chapter in half, so I'm a little behind.  
>Please Rate + Review!<em>


	3. A Stroke of Luck

**Summary:** We've always been together, but something changed when you left. Momo and I are scared, Teto. What happened to you? What happened to us?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yamaha, Crypton, Vocaloid or any of the characters associated with it. Nor do I own UTAU, which belongs to Ameya-P. Or Sugarcape. And then, each UTAU to their creator. And of course, each song to its writer.

**Notes: **Just so you guys know, I don't hate Vocaloid. I just dislike the hatred towards Utau from certain Vocaloid fans. I was one of those Utau-haters myself back in the day _;; Also, there may be a rewrite of the first couple chapters, as the idea of this story has grown some more, I need a larger in-story time-frame to work with, and it seems I've overdone the "underdog" thing.

**Songs in this Chapter:**_ Odoru~Yukkuri There_, and a mention of _Matryoshika_

Please Rate + Review!

Without further adieu, enjoy~

* * *

><p>I walked into the practice room and sorted out my music onto the music stand. Meanwhile, the judge was getting his papers together, apparently not done with grading Yufu. I wondered what she had decided to sing in the end, but I couldn't look at the papers, so that had to remain a mystery. I shifted my weight, trying to wait patiently. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.<p>

"Um, can I start?"

The man looked up from his papers. "Anytime." He said flatly, then returned to looking at his papers. Clearly, he wasn't the slightest bit interested. Perhaps I had been unlucky enough to land one of those finicky I-only-like-Vocaloids-and-everyone-else-sucks type critics as my judge, but I couldn't give up all I'd worked for here. Taking a deep breath, I began to sing.

_I love you…_

_There is too much time__  
><em>_Right now, It's still unchanging…_

_The times that I think about you__  
><em>_I'm lonely._

The notes all came back to me, and it made me feel proud. This was a song I knew; surely I would do well on it!

_You are close every day__  
><em>_No matter the time,__  
><em>_It's happy.__  
><em>_It's painful.__  
><em>_Well then, already now,__  
><em>_It's like a dream._

_Haaaaaaaaa~_

_Before you know it,__  
><em>_They spill over and fall.__  
><em>_My tears…_

_Haaaaaaaaa~_

_There is still much more, again__  
><em>_to carelessly forget.__  
><em>_These thoughts_

The judge finally looked up after a while to listen. Maybe he had actually noticed? Maybe he thought I was good? It was hard to tell. His face was expressionless for the most part, but it seemed as though he was examining me, not sure what to think.

_Your profile is a smiling face._

_In that unexpected moment__  
><em>_I could see your gaze__  
><em>_That kind touch__  
><em>_That finger's sense_

_Even though I remember that throbbing beat,__  
><em>_The dazzling afternoon, Those brilliant memories_

_Like the things yesterday__  
><em>_despite everything, they might still__  
><em>_continue to sparkle_

_The feelings of wanting to meet you__  
><em>_aren't containable__  
><em>_They begin to overflow_

_I love you._

_Even though I don't say it._

_Ooo….Ooo…Ooo…Ooo…Ooo…_

At last, the song came to an end. I looked up at the judge, whose eyes had narrowed, thinking. It was awkwardly silent. Finally, he said, "That was pretty good. However, I think that it would do well for you to work on your clarity, and the emotion in your song was lacking." I was taken aback. What? I had worked so hard on it!

"Furthermore, I believe that the song was well written, but it could use some work as well. While your notes were all perfectly executed and sung, there were sections that felt mashed together in a jumble of words. Also, the ending felt rushed."

"…Ok." I said, taking in his comments. Not all criticism is bad, after all. Now I know what I need to improve on, right? "Anything else?"

"Well, I did think you sang exceptionally well in terms of pitch." The man looked up with a sort of half-smile, and handed me a short piece of music, titled "Tetete". "Let's do the sightreading and scales next."

I walked back to the stand and began to recite notes. It was a simple song, really. Just a mess of syllables tied together with a catchy tune. I knew my song was better than this one, so why did he choose it? Upon finishing the song and a few scales, the judge gave a small nod, signaling that it was time for me to leave. I gathered my sheet music and left the room.

* * *

><p>As I came back into the rotundalobby, I saw that not too many people had come back yet. In fact, there were still groups waiting to be guided to their practice room to take the singing tests. Knowing I had some time to wait, I searched for a bench, or somewhere to sit. However, my search was fruitless. Instead, I had to lean against a wall and wait until they called for lunch break.

When they did call lunch break, there was still no sight of Teto or Momo, so I went ahead and made my way over the café, which we had been instructed to go to as lunch would be handed out there. After going through the lunch line, I found that there were no tables left, so I sat down in the hallway nearby.

"Defoko!"

I looked up. Teto waved, while Momo just smiled. Seeing as they were here now, I decided to join them in line, as I had nothing better to do.

"So, how'd you guys do?" I asked, curious what the judges thought of them. They were VCV's, so I expected that they would do well.

"Pretty good, but the judge wasn't too fond of my song." Momo had sung a new song of hers, 'Aoi Sora wo Mitsuketa Hi', which was a little airy. Perhaps that was why the judge didn't like it.

Teto turned to me. "Well…I don't know what they thought. It _seemed_ like they thought I didn't do a good job, so I'll leave it at that." She didn't look too confident, but I knew she probably did better than she thought she did. "What about you?"

"The guy didn't like me too much." I told Teto. "He basically told me that the song I wrote was crap, but my singing was good."

Teto looked disgusted. "Another Vocaloid-lover, I presume." She snorted. As usual, Teto was quite competitive towards the Crypton students.

"Shhh, not so loud." Momo warned her. "What if a student or judge hears you? Your chances of getting in would be zip."

"Oh yeah…" Teto agreed, then frowned. "Wait a minute, why should I care? I don't mind the Vocaloids themselves, but man, those critics need to be taught a lesson in the awesomeness of Ameya-P." Momo and I sweated. This was where we had to stop. We didn't want to make things worse.

After Teto and Momo received their box lunches, all three of us returned to my empty seat in the hallway. Since the time I had left to go back in line with Teto and Momo, several Boukaloids, UTAUs, and Sugarcape students had sat down, lining the hallway.

"I wonder when we'll get our scores back…" I wondered aloud.

"My judge told me we'd get them back later today." Momo explained. "She said that not only will there be scores, but the best scoring students will be tested in a final round. The finals will apparently be on stage, to test how well the finalists can perform in front of an audience."

"Oh, so that's how it works." Teto mused, taking a sip of juice. "I was wondering about that, too."

"I'm curious to find out how the other schools did." Momo told me. "I know Boukaloid's not too good, but I've never heard of Sugarcape before."

"Is that school far from here?" I asked.

"Yeah." Teto replied, looking around the room. "I think it's in Appleton. That's a few hours away from here." I'd never been to Appleton, but it was common knowledge that it was an interesting small town area.

"You know," Teto continued, "I think there were some Boukaloids who actually did pretty good this year." I almost spit juice.

"Like who?" Momo asked, her green eyes wide with surprise. I was surprised, too. Boukaloids were renowned for being musical failures.

"That Meiko-obsessed girl. She seemed pretty happy with herself when she came out of the practice room. And then there's Nigaito, but I didn't think he was too good, myself." Teto continued to list a few more after those two.

"At least the Boukaloids in your group were decent. Although, they're all pretty full of themselves, aren't they?" I complained. "Kagami was the worst."

"Oh man, Defoko, I am so sorry for you." Teto told me. "Some people have made jokes and called her an Annoyloid."

"Annoyloid is right." I grimaced, remembering her endless pestering as I waited to be tested. I hoped that I wouldn't ever have to see that bragging, super-hyper, pink-haired Miku clone ever again, if it was physically possible. I still wondered how she managed to dye her hair in such a way that she had words plastered all over it, though.

"But still," Momo looked worried. "I feel sorry for her. What if I called you an annoy…annoy…annoy-UTAU?" she finished, obviously saying that for lack of a better name. Typical Momo, worried for the well being of others.

"Uh…Momo, she was completely unfazed by my attempts to ignore her. In fact, I bet she's unfazed by anything." I told her. I wasn't lying. After all, I'm not known for my tact. I had tried to shoo the nuisance away several times, but she always reacted as if I had complimented her and continued jabbering away.

Momo's face cleared up slightly. "Oh, well, ok then." She stuttered, unsure of what to think.

"Gee, I wonder what the finals are like." Teto looked around dreamily. We were probably all wondering the same thing. It was pretty much obvious that none of us had made it into the finals, so we could only imagine—or watch—to see what the feeling was like, and how good everyone who made it there was.

"Probably fantastic." I answered, feeling negative. It looked like Crypton had snubbed UTAU yet again. I knew it was still just the critics, but due to the fact they were _Vocaloid _tryouts, my negativity was directed towards the school itself.

"You two! Don't give up yet! I mean, we don't even know our results yet, right?" Momo said quickly, trying to stay optimistic. She did a fist pump and forced a grin.

"Yeah, ok. Alright. I won't." I mumbled. I didn't believe her, as I had never believed we had a chance in the first place, but she was right. We would just have to wait.

* * *

><p>After lunch, there was very little to do except wander around the lobby and wait for the results to be posted. The room was full of energy—everyone was tired of waiting. Could getting results take any longer? However, just as my patience was about to give out, I noticed a small cluster of people gathering around a wall. Soon, the crowd grew, and I realized it wasn't just one school. All the students were gathering around, so I decided to take a look.<p>

"What's going on over here?" I asked Zasso Dorou, a fellow UTAU student. He turned towards me, clearly annoyed.

"Everyone's scores are posted! And because you asked me that, I missed my chance to look!" He pushed me aside. "Can you _move_?"

"Ok. Fine. Jerk." I grumbled, motioned for Teto and Momo to come over, and then began to force my way through the crowd. It was really hard to see, as I was one of the shorter people in the group. I could see the papers, and that there was someone putting lists up on the wall. Now, if I could just find my name.

I didn't find it, of course, but I did see something unexpected. I just couldn't let it wait. I managed to push my way out of the crowd, and found Teto, who was standing on her toes to try and see. "Oh, hey Defoko! What'd you get? Momo just went to try and get her score—what's the matter?" She asked, suddenly noticing something was off.

"Teto! You're a finalist!" I blurted out.

She gawked. For a moment, I thought she might pass out, or ask if I needed my head checked, but she didn't. Instead, she asked, "I'm a what?"

"A finalist." I breathed, calming down slightly. I couldn't believe it. Teto had passed the tests.

Neither could she, apparently, as she asked me, "Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, it isn't funny."

"I'm serious. I could have sworn I saw your name over there." I pointed, but the crowd was dispersing, and the lists were being taken down. Momo walked back over to us.

"Momo!" I asked, "Do you know our scores?"

She flipped her hair nervously. "No, but they said they handed the lists to our teachers, so we're supposed to separate into groups by school, and then they'll tell us our scores." She replied, looking disappointed. I suppose she was just as excited as I was to find out her scores, but now, we would have to wait again. Our respective teachers called us into our groups, and then began to read names off the lists they had been given.

"The scale is from one to ten, where ten is the best." Our teacher explained, and then began to read off names. We all exchanged glances, hoping for the best. "…Ukene Misaki…5…Utaune Eri…4…Utaune Nami…6…" A girl with black hair and barrettes fidgeted. It didn't look like any of our scores were good so far. Drat. I probably flunked Crypton's tests.

"Utane Uta…" Finally, my name. I waited.

"…5." Oh. So that's how it was. I hadn't done great, but considering the judge I had, I had expected worse. I was curious as to how Momo did, though. I knew that Teto must have been amazing, but Momo certainly deserved the chance for Crypton as well. I hoped that this contest wasn't a letdown for her like last time. My eyes drifted over to her group, but I couldn't see her.

Teto, on the other hand, was unreadable. She must have been going through shock from getting into the finals or something, because she looked excited, yet unbelieving. I imagine that must have been pretty surprising. Or maybe, she didn't get into the finals. I couldn't tell.

A little while later, we were all led into the auditorium. I saw Momo, and called out to her. "Hey, how'd you do?"

"Not too good." Momo sighed, shaking her head. "I got a 6…it's ok, but I didn't make the cutoff. Have you seen Teto?"

"No, not since we separated." I replied. "Maybe she's backstage or something."

"Do you really think Teto got into the finals?" Momo asked nervously. "Let's not get our hopes up, right?"

"…Yeah." I nodded. As much as I hoped it was true, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being all too optimistic, and that at any moment, we would see Teto looking for us. It would not only be crushing for her, but all of us.

* * *

><p>Momo and I took our seats next to the rest of the UTAU applicants, and watched the auditorium darkened. In a few moments, the curtain would rise, and we would see the finalists.<p>

"Hello, everyone." A booming voice came, presumably from the speakers. From the side of the stage, a man could be seen standing in front of the microphone. "We here at Crypton thank you all for coming today in this excellent display of talent. I was pleased to meet so many bright, young individuals skilled with music and singing. As you know, this was a competition to uncover the best of the best, and to give the winner the option to attend Crypton University on a scholarship. As I said before, there was a truly amazing show of vocal and musical skill today. Therefore, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce the finalists. I would like to hand this task to—ladies and gentlemen—Hatsune Miku!"

The familiar teal-haired goddess stepped out onto the stage in her school uniform, and the audience exploded into applause. Miku winked, and waved. It was a really strange thought to think of Miku as a high school student. I was having trouble getting my head around that, when the familiar voice said, "Hi~!"

That was Miku for you. Excitable and super-cute. The crowd roared.

When everyone finally quieted down, Miku stepped up to the microphone. "I'm going to go ahead and start introducing everyone who got into the finals. First up—let's congratulate Akita Neru, from Boukaroido School of Music!"

The blonde Boukaroido student ran out onto the stage and bowed before returning to texting. Miku directed her to one side of the stage, and then returned to the microphone.

"The next finalist is Sakine Meiko, also from Boukaroido!"

An overly hyper brunette with short hair danced onto the stage, looking like she had just won the lottery. Well, I guess you could say that she technically had. So this was the girl Teto mentioned. "I heard," I overheard a nearby classmate telling her friend, "that she's absolutely obsessed with Meiko. It's like, she thinks it's destiny that they had the same name or something…" I turned back to the girl on stage. That would certainly explain the identical haircut she had.

"Next here is Kasane Teto, from Ameya Park UTAU High School!"

This was it. The moment we had all been waiting for. The pink-haired girl, with her drill-shaped pigtails, walked onto the stage. Teto had been selected for the tryouts. She was, essentially, the first UTAU ever to be regarded by Crypton as Vocaloid-worthy. It made us swell with pride that our friend had done so well. I looked over at Momo. She was beaming.

If it hadn't been for Miku moving on, Teto might have received a standing ovation, but of course, she didn't. Miku flipped her teal hair from her face and cleared her throat. "Right…next, we have Yokune Ruko! She is also an UTAU student!"

From the stage wings came an unfamiliar face. Ruko was unusually tall, and had differently colored eyes. There was a blue streak in her hair. At first glance, she looked to be some sort of rebel, definitely not the type to be messed with. Then I noticed that something was…off about her. I made a mental note to ask about it.

"Our next finalist," Miku began, appearing to have gotten into her announcer job, "is Kawaiine Kagami! She's from Boukaroido as well! Please give her some appreciation for coming this far!"

It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. This had to be some sort of mistake! It looked like I _would _have to listen to that voice for the rest of my days. Or would I?

As I looked around the auditorium, there was a shocked silence. Miku looked appalled that no one was clapping, but Kagami just grinned. "It's ok, Miku-sama. They're only silent because they're lost for words while they marvel at my jaw-dropping desu-ness."

_Loss for words is right,_ I thought. Finally, one brave soul started clapping, and the rest of the audience followed.

Momo just stared. Finally, she turned towards me, sweating. "I-I guess you were right." She said quickly, giving me a defeated look. I suppose she hadn't expected Kagami to be quite that conceited.

"Moving on…" Miku cleared her throat once more. "Our last, but not least, finalist is from Boukaloid. Give it up for Yowane Haku!"

A ghostly teen with a long grey ponytail and red eyes shuffled onto the stage. There was no mistaking her. This was the same girl I had seen earlier in the rotunda.

As the girls lined up on the stage, Miku said the final words. "Again, these are the finalist's for Crypton University's Vocaloid tryouts. They will be singing once more, and then the results will be sent back to each school. Please cheer them on as they take the last few tests—and move another step closer to becoming Crypton Vocaloids!" She winked. The crowd exploded into applause and cheering again.

* * *

><p>Momo and I sat in the lobby and waited for Teto to finish the secondary tryouts. Since she and Ruko had come on the same bus as the rest of us, we couldn't leave until they were done. I was happy for Teto, but it had already been a long day, and suspense wasn't making the time pass any easier.<p>

"Hey, congrats!"

I looked up. A cheerful, green-haired girl was bending over in front of me, her head cocked to one side. She smiled. "Your friend did really great, I think. She has some real talent." That was when I recognized her. She had sung in the smash-hit duet, "Matryoshika". The realization hit me so hard that I almost fell over backwards, off the bench.

"G-Gumi? Megpoid?" Momo stuttered, and the girl turned to her, a little sparkle in her eyes.

"That'd be me!" She stood up. "…Why are you looking at me like I have two heads or something? Do I have something on my shirt?" Gumi looked over her uniform, brushing off her skirt.

After I got over my paralysis and initial shock, I asked, "What are you doing here?" A second after did so, I mentally cursed. _Crap, that probably sounded like I was trying to shoo her or something…_

Gumi flipped her hair and pointed towards the other side of the lobby. "Just what all the other Vocaloids are doing. We're helping judge the finalists. In between tryouts, though, we have time to talk to everyone." Across the room, I could see Miki talking to a starry-eyed Sugarcape student, while Tei looked disappointed that Rin wasn't Len. Luka and Mizki were over by the Boukaloids. A rather feminine (but definitely male) Vocaloid with long purple hair was conversing with Kaito, while an UTAU with brown pigtails and her friend looked on, apparently amused.

Momo turned back to Gumi. "Between tryouts? Are they doing it one by one?" She asked, clearly confused.

"Prettymuch. They're back in the auditorium. It's a test of how well they would perform in a live show. We sit in the audience and rate their performance. Your friend's name…Teta, was it?" the green haired girl explained, looking towards the ceiling and apparently trying to remember.

"Teto." I corrected, curious what she had to say.

"Whatever. Anyways, she did well. She's got a real shot at this." Gumi thought for a moment, then winked. "Don't ask me for what score I gave her, though. That's a s-e-c-r-e-t." I sweated. Gumi was certainly…interesting. I was so busy contemplating what Teto's score might be that I didn't notice a mature-looking Crypton student approach.

"Gumi, what are you doing?" She asked. I took in the appearance of this newcomer. The girl had gorgeous pink hair, bright blue eyes, and a regal air about her. I wondered where I had seen her before. I knew, of course, that it must have been at a concert, but I couldn't put my finger on her name.

"Oh, Luka-nee! I was just talking to these two UTAU students here. I'd seen them around with Teta a lot, so I wanted to give them the good news." She motioned to us. "This is…uh…"

"Utane Uta." I said quickly, and Gumi gave a small "right!".

Momo looked to Gumi, then smiled at Luka. "I'm Momone Momo. Pleased to meet you."

Luka looked friendly enough, yet unimpressed. "Charmed." She replied. "So Teto was your friend, hm? She was really excellent. I hope enough people voted for her. That kind of talent isn't something you see every day." She turned to Momo. "You were the one who sang 'Aoi Sora Mitsuketa Hi', right?"

Momo blushed and squeaked. "H-how did you know?" she stuttered, and Luka smiled.

"I was one of the reviewers for your recording. You were just shy of a finalist's score. It's too bad that some of the people didn't agree with me." Luka looked behind her, towards the auditorium doors. "Oh well, at least you can say that you were close."

If Momo was blushing before, then I wasn't sure what to call her now. She's not very good at taking compliments.

"And you're Uta? I'm pretty sure that Len reviewed your song. He told me that you got the really difficult judge." Luka continued, and I shivered. I could almost feel daggers coming from Tei's stare, thanks to her superhuman Len-senses. Fortunately, Luna was quick to silence her before she pounced.

"Yeah." I replied, remembering him bitterly. "He shot me down before I even had a chance."

"Aww, that's too bad…" Gumi huffed. "I hope there's a next time—then you can do better for sure!" She gave me a thumbs-up.

"Uh…right. Thanks." I replied. She must not have heard my recording. I couldn't possibly measure up to Crypton's standards.

Suddenly, a buzzing noise came from Gumi's pocket. Taking notice, she whipped out a sleek-looking smartphone, and looked towards Miki, who nodded. She sighed. "That was Miku. I had fun talking to you guys, but I've got to go watch Meiko's performance!" She flipped her hair again, gave a little wave, and walked away. Luka waved as well, and then followed her.

After they were safely out of hearing distance, I turned to Momo. "…Well, that was a surprise." I told her, and Momo agreed.

"I guess that the rumor that Miku would be helping judge everyone had some grounds after all."

* * *

><p>It was a long bus ride home that afternoon. What a day it had been—Kagami's ranting, Teto's passing the tests, and Gumi and Luka showing up to talk to us.<p>

I didn't know what to think, honestly. I had gotten my hopes up, and I didn't make it. But Teto—I'd have to cheer her on. She's my friend, after all. It was our dream to become idol singers. And you know what? I was happy for her. Really, really happy for her.

At the same time, however, there was this little nagging thought that I tried to ignore. It wouldn't be all that different, would it?


	4. Sleepover Nostalgia

**Summary:** We've always been together, but something changed when you left. Momo and I are scared, Teto. What happened to you? What happened to us?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yamaha, Crypton, Vocaloid or any of the characters associated with it. Nor do I own UTAU, which belongs to Ameya-P. Or Sugarcape. And then, each UTAU to their creator. And of course, each song to its writer.

**Notes: **Yes, I do know that not all Vocaloids are from Crypton. Thus the mention of Yamaha. The orange-haired UTAU at the beginning is Fuuga Koto. On Momo's calling her brother "Tarou": His real name is Momotarou (her genderbend). It's the same idea of my cousin calling her brother Kristopher, "Tofer". And about that tablet thing in the Karaoke box? I don't know what it's called, I've just used it. Also, futon=roll-up bed in Japan. Not like a fold-out couch futon at all.

Songs in this Chapter:

Please Rate + Review my story!

Without further adieu, enjoy~

* * *

><p>"Mmmhhmmm…"<p>

"Rise and Shine, De-fo-KO~!"

I looked up to find the owner of the voice I had just heard. When I saw the pink drill-tails in her hair, I put my head down again. Last night I hadn't gotten much sleep, so I really didn't have the energy to deal with her right now.

Poke.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

"…Stop that." I whined, looking up at Teto.

"Well, the _least_ you could do is attempt to _look_ like you're listening." She huffed, flipping a drill-tail with her hand. "Anyways, I have some really exciting news!"

"…Exciting news?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. The pigtailed girl nodded.

"You'll listen, right?" She asked, although something told me that was more of an order. I would be toast if I said no.

"…Ok." I consented. "But this better be worth waking me up after I got two hours of sleep last night."

"I knew you'd listen!" Teto smiled. "Let's see here, how to start…about the tryouts last week…" I leaned in to listen closer. "I got a letter from Crypton today~!" Teto beamed, and several pairs of eyes shot up around the classroom.

"No kidding?" I asked, wide-eyed and surprised. I knew Teto had made it to the finals, but we hadn't found out whether she had won the scholarship or not. I looked at the envelope in her hands. "Have you opened it?"

"No—" Teto began, but was cut off by a classmate.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, open it!" The orange-haired girl shouted excitedly, nearly leaping onto my desk. Teto and I sweated.

"Well, I—" Teto began again, but was once again cut off, this time by a whole chorus of classmates. I could see that she was getting flustered, particularly when she nearly crushed the envelope. "…OK! I'LL OPEN IT! JUST ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" she burst. The classroom fell silent. Gingerly, she peeled the envelope open and pulled out the contents. "Greetings, Teto Kasane." Teto began to read. "Congratulations on your excellent performance during this year's Vocaloid Talent Search Contest. We are honored to inform you…" She gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "…of your acceptance to CRYPTON ACADEMY!"

Teto and I exchanged glances. Then, in unison, we squealed and jumped around the room. The whole room seemed to explode with excitement. After a few moments, another classmate calmed down and asked, "Does it say anything else?"

The excitement died down in eagerness to hear what the rest of the letter read. "On behalf of the faculty and members of Crypton Academy, we commend you for your accomplishments and musical talent you have proven. Furthermore, we are pleased to notify you of being awarded ¥700,000 in scholarships. To reserve your place among other students in the Vocaloid program, please send a ¥10000 enrollment deposit along with the enclosed form as soon as possible providing you have determined Crypton is the best place for you. Again, congratulations on your achievements and acceptance to Crypton Academy. We look forward to seeing you at the enrollment date one February 1st."

Teto put down the letter and took a breath. "That's it."

"Next month?" I asked incredulously. "Teto, that's only a week away."

The pink-haired girl stared at me blankly. "…You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. Today's January 25th. You'll be starting next Monday." I explained. Talk about short notice. Did Teto simply not check her mail or something?

"But…that means I won't get to be in Pop Show with all of you guys…" Teto mumbled. "And we worked so hard on that song, too…"

"It's ok, Teto. I'm sure we can still finish it—say, we visit each other on weekends. And you don't have to do this if you don't want to—"

"That's not it! I really do want to go to Crypton…" She sighed. "It's just going to be different, Defoko." I could agree with that. We'd been in the same class since we were kids, and saw each other almost every day of the week. Suddenly we wouldn't, and it'd just be me and Momo, while Teto would be off on her own.

"That's true, but…" I looked at the floor, trying to think of something to say. "Look, Crypton may be a boarding school, but it's not like a jail, right? It's not like we won't see each other."

"…Yeah." She replied, a grin returning to her face. "Ok, then. This is gonna be _so awesome!_" The mood lifted a little, and I couldn't help but crack a smile.

_Everything is going to be ok._

* * *

><p>"WHAT?" Momo asked, eyes wide. Teto and I sighed. We had expected this.<p>

"I said we only have a week until I have to leave for Crypton." Teto repeated herself. "So, we really ought to make the best of this week before I get really busy."

"You're serious." Momo asked again. I slapped my forehead.

"Yes, she's serious." I replied.

"For cereal." Teto grinned.

The green-eyed girl looked from me to Teto, then back to me. "I can't believe this. It's so short notice!"

"Ehehe~" Teto stuck out her tongue. "About that…I didn't check my mail until this morning~"

"Ah…" I noted. That explained it. It could have been sitting in her mailbox for weeks.

"…But what are we going to do about Pop Show? You can't compete for a school you're not attending, you know." Momo pointed out, looking lost. I swear I saw some of those normally perfectly straight pink hairs pop out as frizz.

"I'll be singing for Crypton, but Defoko thinks we can at least finish the song on weekends." The pigtailed girl assured her. "Isn't that right, Defoko?" She turned to me and winked.

"Yeah, that's right. Supposing that we keep weekends open, and that none of us get too busy." I replied, scratching my head. "We should probably plan some stuff to do this week, though."

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Teto clapped her hands together. "Let's have a sleepover!"

"A sleepover?" Momo and I asked in unison. We stared at each other for a moment before Teto jinxed us.

"Isn't that kind of—" I began, but Teto cut me off.

"No talking! I caught you guys first, so neither of you can talk. Unless you'd rather buy me a soda?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm practically broke—" I began, but Teto waved a finger at me. "…Fine, what kind of soda?" I replied, defeated.

"C.C. Lemon, please~." Teto smiled. When we came back, she sat down and opened her drink. "So, as I was saying, I thought a sleepover would be a good idea. I mean, we haven't had one in ages, and maybe we could have a kind of girl's day out." She explained, slurping on the soft drink. "You know, shopping, karaoke, that sort of stuff."

"Sounds good, but I think we'd have to do that over the weekend. Maybe Friday? I don't have anything to do." Momo added.

"Hmm, well I'm leaving Monday morning, so that _should_ work for me. I'll have to check with my parents if it's ok." Teto mused. "What about you, Defoko?"

"I'm free all weekend." I answered. "Whose house? I don't really have room, plus Koe never cleans up after herself."

"Well, we could stay at my house…" Momo thought for a moment. "But Sumomo isn't the most organized sister ever, and Tarou doesn't exactly keep his things to himself, either."

"Double for Ted." Teto sighed. "Siblings make everything hard…" We all "hmmed" in unison with disappointment.

"Alright, I'll ask my mom." Momo piped up. "My brother probably has soccer practice, anyway."

"YAY!" Teto jumped and did a fist pump.

* * *

><p>The week went by a lot faster than any of us expected. It was Monday when we had discussed the sleepover, but when I sat with my friends Friday afternoon for lunch, it felt like just this morning we had made our plans. Only a few more days until Teto was going to Crypton…no one could decide if we were happy or a little bit sad. Still, as I ate my burned lunch (Koe had gotten up early, so I had gotten distracted and overcooked the egg) the reality of splitting up began to set in. By the time we met up after school, I was a little out of it.<p>

"Hello? Earth to Defoko?" I blinked and found Teto waving her hand in front of my face. I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't heard what she had said.

"Huh?" I wondered aloud. The drill-tailed girl sighed.

"I said, 'What do you want to do first?'" Teto shook her head. "You've been so out of it today."

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I brushed a strand of purple hair out of my face. We were at the train station, trying to figure out how much we needed on our tickets. "What do you say we go do karaoke first?"

Momo looked up at the sign. "Well, the closest one is Karaoke King…it's ¥230 to get there from here."

"Alright! karaoke it is!" Teto shouted, pulling some coins from her pocket.

"That's too much, Teto—" Momo pointed out, but Teto motioned that she was wrong.

"This one's on me!" Teto gave a thumbs-up and winked. I couldn't help but laugh a little. She was always so full of energy.

The train ride was, fortunately, not very crowded. Once we got off at the station, it was only a matter of finding the Karaoke box.. We split the cost and then went upstairs to our room.

"What first?" I asked. Momo and Teto began looking through the search tablet.

"Well, there's always Miku songs…" Teto flicked her pen. "_World is Mine_ is a classic."

"Or there's _Interstellar Flight_ or _LION_. Those are fun." Momo added. When both of us looked at her surprised, she replied, "What? I don't watch the anime, I just like the music."

I relaxed a little with relief and waited for them to figure out which song to sing. "Ok, I'm singing _World is mine_." Teto announced, tapping the tablet's screen. It appeared on a list on the TV, followed by _Melt_. The machine took a moment to load, so Teto took the opportunity to stand up and find space to move around. Finally, the familiar melody poured out of the speakers as the lights dimmed. A squeal filled the room momentarily as Teto tested her microphone, then she began.

"_The Wo-rld's number one princess!  
>Know how to treat me like that….<br>Ok?_

_First thing, notice when I have a different hair style from usual__  
><em>_Second thing, be sure to go as far as looking down at my shoes properly, do I make myself clear?__  
><em>_Third thing, for every single world I say, reply with three words__  
><em>_If you understand that there is nothing in my right hand, then do something!__"_

Teto's voice fit in perfectly with the song as she watched the screen. Clearly, she was getting into it, as she couldn't help but move her free arm a little.

"_The world's number one princess!  
>Realize that, hey, hey!<br>Keeping me waiting is out of the question  
>Who do you think I am?<br>I want to eat some French bread already!  
>Go get it immediately!"<em>

_French bread…?_ I took a double take and tried not to laugh. There were practically sparkles in her eyes as she imagined it.

_Check 1, 2!  
>Aaa!<em>

_My fault? Let's call it a cute mistake__  
>Complaints are not permitted<em>_  
>Well? Are you clearly hearing what I am saying? Come on<em>_  
>Ah, and what about this? A white horse, isn't that needless to say?<em>_  
>Come and take me away<em>_  
>If you understand that, take my hand and say "Princess"<em>

_I'm not really saying anything selfish__  
>But you know, it's alright to scold me a little?<em>

_My very own prince in the world__  
>Realize that, look, look<em>_  
>Our hands are empty<em>_  
>Reticent and blunt prince<em>_  
>Come one, why! Just notice it soon<em>

_You definitely don't understand! Don't understand..._

_Anpan filled with delicious red bean__  
>Melon bread coated in cookie dough<em>_  
>Everything, everything, I will hold myself back from it<em>_  
>Don't think that I'm a selfish girl<em>_  
>I can act proper too<em>_  
>You will regret your words!<em>

_It's natural! Even for me_

_The number one princess in the world__  
>See me clearly okay, shall I go somewhere?<em>_  
>Suddenly I was held tightly, it was so abrupt, eh?<em>_  
>"You should be more careful" So saying that you turn away<em>_  
>...I think you're more dangerous though<em>

_Aaa!_

She did a twirl and bowed as the song came to an end. Momo and I clapped at her performance before Momo took the stage, and began singing _Melt_.

* * *

><p>I stretched as we walked down the stairs. "Well, that was fun."<p>

Momo nodded, but before she could say anything, Teto interrupted. "Are you kidding? That was AWESOME! It was the highest score I've ever gotten at a Karaoke box!" She beamed. I had to lean back slightly as she was very much in my personal space (I'm guessing she was so excited she didn't notice).

"So…where to next?" Momo asked, looking down the street. "Looks like there's some shops around here…"

"Ooh, look there!" Teto pointed. Following her finger, I saw a brightly lit animated sign.

"…Spinz?" I asked. "They do have some interesting clothes there."

"Yeah! There's this really neat shirt I saw a while back, and I want to see if they still have it." Teto gave me the puppy-dog eyes. "Can we go there? Please?"

I exchanged glances with Momo, who simply shrugged. "I'm ok with it." She smiled.

"Well, you really don't have to ask me for permission, then." I told Teto. She jumped for joy.

"Alright! Let's go!" Teto's pink drill-tails bounced as she led the charge. As soon as we got there, we split up within the small boutique and began sifting through the racks of clothes.

"This one's pretty nice." Momo held up a knit sweater with a black ribbon. "I think it goes well with my hair color, don't you think?"

I took a closer look. It was _very _Momo. "You sure are a sucker for collared shirts."

"You really think so?" Momo held it up with a slight frown, then sighed. "Now that I think about it, that's true…it's _so_ cute, though."

"Well, what do you think of this one?" I held up a t-shirt with polka dots. The pink-haired girl stared for a moment, then shook her head.

"Polka dots just aren't my thing." She explained. Suddenly, she gasped. "Defoko! It's so you!"

"What? What's so me?" I asked excitedly, and my friend whirled around. She was holding a white sweatshirt with some writing in English on it. I sweated.

"Isn't that…a little big?" I replied, noting that the sweatshirt looked like its size was at least an extra-large. Momo checked the tag, then put it back on the rack.

"And that was the only one, too…" She pouted. Secretly, I felt a little relieved. Usually, Momo had good taste in fashion, but I don't know what happened there…

"Hey Defoko! Look over here!" Teto pushed through the crowd. "You should try this one on." She held up a half-sleeve shirt with black sleeves, waving it around excitedly. I contemplated this for a moment, then decided to try it on. When I stepped out of the changing room, I noticed Teto had also changed.

"Well? What do you think?" The twin-drilled girl asked, hands behind her back.

"I like it, but…you're not going to buy that, are you?" I scratched my head. She was wearing an identical shirt, except with red sleeves.

"Sure I am! We can be matching this way! Except there was no pink or green for Momo…" She motioned to the pink-haired girl, whose expression revealed that she agreed with me. But, as there was no arguing with Teto, we gave in. Teto and I stepped into a line for the cash register, and were about to buy our shirts when...

"How come I didn't see those before?" She asked, and I looked around.

"What didn't you see before?" I asked, still unsure of what she was talking about.

"Those berets over there. I want one of those for sure!" She grinned, and walked away from the line. I followed her, and Momo was soon behind us.

Teto held up a hot pink beret. "I really like this one for myself. And they're so cheap…you two should get one, too."

I began digging through the pile of multi-colored hats. When I put a dark purple one on my head, Teto immediately gave me a thumbs up. "Purple suits you, Defoko." She told me, and I took that as a compliement. After some more digging, Teto frowned. "There's no light pink."

"Why do you need light pink?" I blinked, confused.

Luckily, Momo seemed to understand what she was getting at. She found a dark green beret, and tried it on. "How is it?" my friend asked, fixing her hair.

"I think it looks good. It brings out your eyes a little more." I replied, and Teto nodded in agreement.

"So it's settled then?" Teto looked at me, then Momo.

"I believe so…but how much are these?" The pink-haired girl rummaged in her wallet.

I looked at the tag. "They're on sale at ¥500 apiece. Not too bad…"

"I have plenty then. Enough to get home, at the very least." She put away her wallet and motioned for all of us to get in line.

* * *

><p>We walked out of Spinz wearing our berets. Although I didn't like the whole idea of matching, I had to admit, we all looked nice with them (I had stopped to check out my reflection in a window to decide If I really liked my beret or not). We shopped around some more before we decided to catch the train home. After all, Momo's mom could be waiting for us. I did want some ice cream, though, so we made one final stop before heading home.<p>

Momo's house is great. First of all, it's a house. Y'know, houses are pretty neat whenever you're in an apartment and you share a room with your sister. I can't deny that. And her mom is really nice, too. I don't think I've ever seen her angry (though, if she's always happy like that, I'd be afraid to see her angry). About Sumomo. Sumomo is just as obnoxious a little sister as Koe. Which is to say, she's the most adorable thing you've ever seen, but _will_ take advantage of that to get what she wants. On the other hand, Momotarou is a relaxed, laid-back kind of guy, but he's got a competitive edge for sure (that probably comes from soccer). He's the spitting image of Momo's dad, who seems to have a similar personality.

Getting back to what we were doing, Ms. Momone had made curry and rice for dinner, my favorite. Did I ever mention that I really like rice? And action movies, but that's unrelated.

I would have helped Momo wash dishes and clean up, but she told us we didn't have to, and her mom backed her up on that. So instead, Teto and I set up the futons for us to sleep on.

We stayed up really late that night talking. Not that Teto would let us sleep even if we wanted to. Still, it was hard to stay quiet after everyone else went to bed.

"Ok. So. Truth time. Is there anyone that anyone here likes?" Teto asked mischievously, twirling her now-untied hair.

Momo and I sweated. "Uh…" I mumbled. "No one…really?" In reality, I was thinking of a specific red-haired boy, but I would never tell her that!

"I don't have anyone I like, either." Momo said quickly, but she sounded like she was trying to hide something.

"Are you suuuuure?" The red-haired girl drilled us. I motioned a "no" and Momo followed suit. Teto sighed. "You guys are so lame."

"Gee, thanks." I spat sarcastically.

"Well, how about you, Teto?" Momo asked, a spark of curiosity in her eye.

Teto blushed. "I…" Momo and I leaned in closer to hear. "I like Lenny-kun."

"Lenny-kun?" I turned my head to one side. "Who's that?"

"You mean you don't know? Len Kagamine?" Teto asked incredulously.

"Oh." Was all I could say in response. "So you have a crush on a person you've never met?"

"It's perfectly normal to have a crush on a celebrity, Defoko." Momo informed me, and I shot her a _you're-not-helping_ look. She gave a small "oops" before turning to Teto.

"It's not a crush! He is my one true love. I swear upon that." Teto stood up in mock-passion. I laughed.

"Hopefully you'll be civil enough that he won't ask for a restraining order against you." I smirked, and Teto fell on the floor. We had a good laugh before helping her up.

All of the sudden, Teto looked serious. "Hey, guys…" She began. "Is it really ok with you…y'know, that I got in to Crypton, but you didn't?"

"It's fine, Teto. I don't have a problem with it." I consoled her.

She didn't look convinced. "But didn't we say we'd get to the top together?"

It was Momo's turn. "We'll all get there someday. It's just that you're getting there a little sooner than the rest of us." She smiled, and she meant it.

"Then if you're ok with it… I guess I'm ok with it, too. G'night, Defoko, Momo." She rolled over and snuggled into her blanket. Momo and I exchanged glances. Since when was Teto this somber? After Teto didn't get back up, Momo sighed and got up to turn off the light. I rolled over in my bed, alone with my thoughts. I could understand how Teto was unsure of what to do. I would probably act the same way if I was her. It would just be…so different.

I heard Momo pull up the blankets and shift around. "Good night, Teto, Defoko."

"Good night to you too." I whispered.

"Good night."


End file.
